Tales of the Sekihoutai: Chapter One
by Sagara-Soujirou
Summary: A surviving member of the Sekihoutai has been found...


Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the hot men in it, sadly. This is the first Rurouni Kenshin story I have written but I have plans to write many more. This story may not make sense at first because this is actually a sequel to another story I haven't written yet (because I'm lazy). The story that it is going to go along with is about the Sekihoutai before they met their end. Sakura is a made up character that was strongly involved with the Sekihoutai group. This story takes place a year after the end of the Rurouni Kenshin series. Everything is pretty much the same. Well read and review! And I'm sorry if chapter one is short! I finally figured out where to spilt it and it didn't turn out as long as I planned.  
  
Tales of the Sekihoutai  
  
Chapter One:  
Sanosuke and Sakura  
  
"All the remaining members of the Ishin Shishi group have been killed," read Kenshin from a paper in which he had received while going to buy some vegetables from the market, he sat on the porch of the Kamiya Dojo, Sanosuke sitting beside him eating lunch. "The Ishin Shishi, right?" muttered Sanosuke while he proceeded to stuff his face with food, "I remember them, they gave the Sekihoutai false information that led to the death of my fellow members." He stopped eating at this, remembering the day that Captain Sagara and the rest of the group at been killed. "Sano, do you know of any survivors besides you and Katsu?" Kenshin asked, Sanosuke shook his head in reply, "Not that I remember but. there was this one girl, I don't know if she died but I know where she'd be if she were alive." Kenshin looked at Sanosuke for awhile, Sanosuke soon stood up.  
"If the missie wants to know where I've gone say I'm going to gamble." Kenshin nodded at Sanosuke's words, though he seemed worried about this friend, knowing that in fact Sano was not going to gamble but going to go meet this girl he had spoke of. It took Sano a few days to reach the village in which he had been headed to, he supposed he would be too late even if the girl from his past was the killer she would probably be long gone. On a late night he arrived in the village, it was a head village of the Ishin Shishi that seemed most deserted. He proceeded to a small temple where he saw a young woman, looking about the age of himself, whom was surrounded by villagers, dead villagers. She was looking at the spot that Sano remember as where they had put Captain Sagara's head many, many years ago.  
"Captain." Sano heard the woman mutter before turning around and looking at Sano as she spoke, "Sanosuke!?" This woman seemed to be covered with blood, Sanosuke could not tell if it was hers or if it had been her dead enemies and despite the blood Sano found her beautiful. She wore white bandage around her chest and over which she wore and open purple kimono, it was hard to tell it was purple because of the blood staining it, she had long black hair some which fell in her face and over her crystal blue eyes and those eyes reminded Sano of her name, "Sakura, you're alive!" He spoke this while moving towards her, not being able to believe his old friend had survived the massacre of the Sekihouta, thinking this may all be a dream, thinking he had to touch her to be sure. He rested a hand on her pale face which seemed to make her flinch, "You really don't believe I'm Sakura do you?" She muttered to him, knowing that fact was true by the disbelieving look on his face.  
"I thought that only I and Katsu were the only survivors but I'm so glad to see you made it out alive also." He could hear himself in his mind, not believing this was even him, and he just knew seeing her brought great happiness to him. "Did you really kill all the Ishin Shishi?" Yelling then could be heard in the distance, "This isn't the place to discuss that, lets get out of here!" Sano nodded, agreeing to that. Sakura then ran out of the temple, Sanosuke following closely behind her. They ran through the city, past all the villagers and straight into a forest that lie just outside the city.  
"I've been living in Tokyo if you want to go there," said Sanosuke, Sakura nodded in reply and they began their run through the forest to Tokyo. In a few days they arrived at the Kamiya Dojo, Sakura seemed surprised that Sano lived there, "You live here!?" "No, not really, I just visit here but my real home isn't too far from here, we can go there to talk if you really want." Sakura nodded, "I think it would be best to talk in private, I don't want someone to over hear and me to get arrested." Kenshin, who was sitting outside washing clothing had heard this, he knew Sano had found the killer but he did not want to interfere with the two just yet.  
They arrived at Sanosuke's home in no time at all. His place was messy as it normally was for he didn't care much for cleaning; Sakura seemed to notice at once but did not say anything about it. "So this is my home" Sanosuke said, he seemed proud of himself to be able to afford a home at least. Sakura found that fact rather sad. "Its, uh, nice." Sakura lied; she didn't like the place at all. Sano cleared ff a table and sat down, Sakura removed her sword from her waist before sitting down across from him; he then spoke, "So are you the one who killed the Ishin Shishi?"  
Sakura nodded, "They killed Sagara, my father, everyone! I've been visiting that shrine where you found me for many years, the members of the Ishin Shishi knew I was a part of the Sekihouta yet they did not attack me, only spread horrible rumors about me so I began to kill then. It was really enough that they killed our whole group and now they go and put my name in trash!" Sanosuke nodded, understanding, "But now you're a criminal, if you're caught you'll be put in prison now." "They won't be able to figure it was me, I live in Edo which is a ways from here. Well I used to live in Edo before a few last remaining members of the Ishin Shishi burnt down my home, now I live nowhere."  
"That's not true! I'm sure the Missie would let you live with her or if she wouldn't I'd allow you to live here!" "The Missie?..." Sakura blinked, she had never heard of anyone with such a name. "You'll have to meet her; I'll take you over to her dojo now!" "But Sano, we just got here, do you really think we should go rushing down to the dojo now? I don't know about you but I'm really tired from our journey."  
Sano nodded, "Then we'll stay here for the night, I could run over to the dojo to get some food." "Don't you have food here? I could cook something up if you do." Sano shook his head, "I'm broke." Sakura sighed at this, knowing what kind of person he had become now, a person who relayed on others for food and wasted what little money he had on gambling after thinking about this she spoke, "Fine then, why don't we just go to the dojo now?" Sano nodded and got up and walked out, Sakura grabbed her sword, tying it back to her waist then following him. They didn't walk for a long time before reaching the Kamiya Dojo.  
None was out front, however when they walked into the dojo, Sanosuke was greeted by a hard wooden sword of Yahiko's to his forehead. Karou and Yahiko were training together and Sakura soon found out it was dangerous to be in the same room as the two when they were training, lone wooden swords flew at Sakura and Sanosuke. Sano ran outside to the back to get away from Karou to see Kenshin sitting there on the porch. "Kenshin, I was right, that girl that I assumed did the killing did!" Sanosuke whispered into Kenshin's ear. Kenshin stirred at these words as he looked at Sakura, eyeing her sword first.  
Sakura was studying him when it hit her, the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek and the red hair, this man, was the Battousai. "You know its not right for a young woman to be carrying a sword, that it isn't." Sakura laughed at his words and the fact that this man was the Battousai, "Are the rumors really true, are you really the Battousai!?" "That's a name I gave up ten years ago, that it is." Kenshin seemed very calm. Karou and Yahiko then walked out of the dojo, "That free loader is here!" yelled Karou, "And he's got another free loader with him or otherwise a whore!"  
"Now now Miss Karou that's going a little bit too far!" Kenshin said. Sakura blinked as she muttered, "free loader, whore" to herself, "I'm not a free loader nor am I a whore, Miss Kamiya." "Well I'd expect that out of any of Sanosuke's friends!" "Missie, is that really called for? You weren't like this to Katsu when I brought him here and this girl is exactly like Katsu, one of the only survivors of the Sekihoutai massacre." Karou seemed surprised, "Oh, I'm sorry!"  
"Apology accepted, I'm used to the cruel talk," muttered Sakura. "Well, I'm going to start cooking dinner, that I am," said Kenshin as he got up, Yahiko running off to help him. Sakura and Karou started talking and the very hungry Sano watched Kenshin cook, asking every few minutes if it was almost done like an impatient little child. "So you teach a style that doesn't involve killing? That really sucks, killing seems to be the only thing a sword is useful for and wooden swords, like the ones you use just aren't useful." 'That's not true," said Karou in an angry tone of voice.  
"Well that's the way I was taught, my mother taught me swordsmanship believe it or not. My father was always too busy working with his fellow members of the Sekihoutai to teach me anything, which I didn't mind for once I fully learned swordsmanship at the age of six I was able to be with him in the Sekihoutai and help them do the jobs the imperialists had given them to do. I loved our leader, and Sanosuke and the rest of the fellow members, we all got together so well." A smile appeared on Sakura's face while she thought of the days while she was young, "I miss Captain Souzou Sagara very much along with my father, I've gotten my revenge by killing the Ishin Shishi but I don't feel proud of myself just yet. I don't know what to do now." Sakura paused, Karou sat staring at her for awhile, not knowing that so say to her, feeling bad for her and feeling bad for Sanosuke then Sakura continued, "Its nice to have someone around now and Sanosuke isn't all that bad you know?"  
"To you! He's such a slum lord here!" Karou sighed. "Dinners ready!" They heard Kenshin yell, Sakura seemed happy about that for it had been at the perfect timing for she knew she already disliked this Karou woman. Karou and Sakura walked inside, Karou sat next to Kenshin and Sakura sat between Yahiko and Sanosuke. Yahiko and Sanosuke quickly started eating like pigs, while Karou, Kenshin, and Sakura ate slowly, not attempting to choke themselves as Yahiko and Sanosuke seemed to be doing. "Kenshin you sure cooked a good meal," Sanosuke muttered with a full mouth.  
"Thanks Sano," Kenshin said. "Thanks for the food, Battousai" muttered Sakura. "It's Kenshin now, that it is and your welcome Miss.?" "Sakura is my name, Sakura Yukishiro." "Yukishiro!?" gasped Kenshin. 


End file.
